Every human and animal on this planet must have the means to communicate with one another.  Dogs are not excluded from this fact.  The problem arises when dogs and their owners cannot clearly communicate with each other.  All too often owners contribute to the communication barrier without realizing they are doing so.  As humans, we cannot expect our canine family members to understand our level of  reasoning or any other emotions we feel every day.  But we do exactly that as well as expect our canines to understand the English language.  I am sure some may disagree with that statement, but hopefully after reading this entire page you will have a more clear understanding of dog behavior and how they communicate. 

Barking is a dog's way of communicating just as our way of communication is through speech.   Dogs bark for many different reasons.  They bark when they feel the need to alert owners to possible threats,  in play with their owners or other dogs.  They can be taught to bark if they desire to go potty in the yard.  Many dogs bark because they are left alone to much and they learn to focus on any little thing to vocalize over.  But much too often dogs learn to bark for attention from their owner or to obtain something they want from an owner (treats, toys or food, etc).  Some breeds of dogs tend to vocalize more than other breeds.  But this in itself is no reason to believe barking cannot be curbed or controlled through training. 

Let's discuss why dogs bark outside of the house.  Since dogs are not human, they do not have the power of foresight.  They do not  understand the person that walks by the house every day lives in your neighborhood.  Many dogs feel their territory is encompassed of everything they can see visually every day from their yard.  So, when Harry from down the road walks by, the dog barks its territorial warning, Harry walks on by.  The dog in his mind believes he has defended his territory and frightened Harry into going on away from his home. Every time the dog warns Harry to leave, he does so.  This serves to reward the dog for barking at Harry.  But most owners would believe their dog to be "not too bright" when in fact the dog is just being a dog and thinking like a dog!  In cases like this the owner would train or change the dog's behavior when Harry walks by.

Another behavior that bothers owners is their dog barking AT THEM.  This might happen when you are attempting to watch a movie or talk on the phone or many other times when you change your focus to something other than your dog.  The owner is actually at the base of this problem.  Take the case of the owner  who attempts to watch a movie but is constantly interrupted by the dog sitting in front of him barking loudly or even climbing on the owner while barking.  The owner takes his attention from the television to look at the dog and verbally correct him. This rewarded the dog for the barking behavior by giving the dog the attention it desired even if it was negative attention.  The same stands any time you yell at your dog for barking.  Yell enough and it is no longer a threat to your dog.  It is simply the attention he wanted! 

Now, for a tip on dealing with the dog that barks at the owner!  The next time your dog looks at you and barks, whether demanding attention, food or play you must IMMEDIATELY turn and leave.   The dog's barking behavior is to gain the owner's attention.   Your eye contact is what the dog is hoping to gain.  The owner has probably re enforced the behavior without realizing it. If the very second the looked at you and barked you turned away your dog will soon understand the barking itself is taking the attention he wanted away from him.  If you have a dog that jumps on you or pulls you and/or follows you when you turn away, leave the room and shut a door behind you.  The second the dog stops barking walk back into the room.  You must treat the bark as a light switch flipped by the dog to turn your attention off.  Only after consistently doing this, will you begin to curb this behavior until you totally cause it to become extinct.  For dogs with very bad barking habits it will take longer.  But it will work! 

For more tips and information on controlling your dog's barking, go to our "Behavior Modification Form."  Good luck !

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